


let's close our eyes

by towokuwusatsuwu



Series: Pride 2018: 30 Days of S.W.O.R.D. [8]
Category: HiGH&LOW: the Story of S.W.O.R.D. (TV)
Genre: Elevators, Established Relationship, Introspection, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 19:43:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14880003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/towokuwusatsuwu/pseuds/towokuwusatsuwu
Summary: Koo surveys the small space, then turns to look at Rocky once more. “So, what do you—”He cuts himself off when he gets a proper look at Rocky, whose eyes are fixed on the mirror ceiling. The light seems to make him shine, the sun-kissed tone of his skin glowing, his hair showing up a richer and deeper gold than usual. Koo’s exhausted mind conjures up the word angel before he can think twice about it and he has to agree with himself, just this once, that his initial gut reaction is right on the money.The sight is a direct contrast to how bloodied and beaten Rocky was after fighting Ranmaru, how the fight with Kuryu took that much more out of him. Koo remembers sitting beside Rocky’s hospital bed after his admittance, unable to tear his gaze from the blood on Rocky’s skin, the bruises, the dirt, and he remembered how insistent Rocky was on the color white, on being unstained by any other colors, on remaining pure.Koo could have lost him, he realizes. The realization hits him in the gut harder than he expects, makes his stomach sour and bile burn in the back of his throat.





	let's close our eyes

Though Koo understands the importance of this new building suiting all of their various needs before they can accept it as the new location for Club Heaven, he and Rocky have been here for approximately three hours and he is beginning to believe Rocky is going over the same nooks and crannies three times over just to drive him mad. The idea seemed ludicrous when it first occurred to him but the longer he follows Rocky around, making notes on his tablet about any alterations they will need or any features they might be able to add, the more he thinks he may be correct in his assumptions.

Ever since they went through hell and back in order to gather the evidence necessary to prove the cover-up of the water pollution, Rocky has been antsy. Club Heaven had been desecrated in the various battles leading up to that war, and Koo knows it hurt Rocky in more ways than can be explained. Their insurance plan kept them from suffering financially and they had made more than enough money to cover any medical expenses needed by the staff, but Rocky was shaken. This much Koo can see in the explicit care he takes combing over every inch of the building.

Just the same, Koo is certain there are only so many times you can go over the same corners and crevices before there is nothing new to be gained from the examination.

He gives up taking notes for Rocky and finds himself doodling on the corner of the notepad screen when Rocky straightens suddenly, dragging a gloved hand down his face. “I forgot there’s still one place we haven’t looked at once. We need to check the elevator.”

Koo scans the room twice over before he spots the doors, wondering if his impatience blinded him to their existence prior to now. He shakes his head at himself; he should be better than this. “You would be correct. Let’s look it over and then call it a night.”

“I suppose we have been here for a long time, huh?” Rocky flashes him a smile, pretty white teeth because his grill had been left at home. “Yeah, okay, the elevator and then home.”

Holding back a sigh of relief, Koo follows Rocky across the floor, carefully erasing the doodle so that Rocky doesn’t find anything suspicious about his notes. “You do need your rest.”

“I told you I’m fine now. The hospital said there weren’t any more negative effects to worry about from the fight.” Rocky’s voice edges toward bitterness and Koo shakes his head. The doctors  _ also _ said Rocky should be careful and rest, but of course he neglects to mention this.

They had the electricity turned on in the building a few days ago before coming to give it a thorough investigation, needing to see it lit up from within before they could decide how to fully utilize it. So when Rocky presses the button to open the doors, Koo should not be surprised there are lights in the elevator. What  _ does _ surprise him is that the elevator appears to have lights running down the corners instead of in the ceiling, the walls mirrored so that the space is brightly illuminated. Overly bright, perhaps, but Koo finds it beautiful.

“I didn’t know it looked like this inside.” Even Rocky sounds taken aback.

“It’s very appropriate with our aesthetic,” Koo muses, stepping past Rocky to enter the elevator, turning to offer him a hand. “Come inside. It’s not like it’s going to bite you.”

Rocky huffs at him, takes the hand Koo offers, and steps through the doors right as they close behind him. Though this is only a visit, Rocky had gone all out in terms of aesthetic; the white lights pick out the little details of the embroidery on his coat, which had taken ages to dry clean properly and more money than Koo expected. Ranmaru’s battle left them picking up the pieces, healing injuries, and scrubbing blood and grime out of their clothes.

Koo surveys the small space, then turns to look at Rocky once more. “So, what do you—”

He cuts himself off when he gets a proper look at Rocky, whose eyes are fixed on the mirror ceiling. The light seems to make him shine, the sun-kissed tone of his skin glowing, his hair showing up a richer and deeper gold than usual. Koo’s exhausted mind conjures up the word  _ angel _ before he can think twice about it and he has to agree with himself, just this once, that his initial gut reaction is right on the money.

The sight is a direct contrast to how bloodied and beaten Rocky was after fighting Ranmaru, how the fight with Kuryu took that much more out of him. Koo remembers sitting beside Rocky’s hospital bed after his admittance, unable to tear his gaze from the blood on Rocky’s skin, the bruises, the dirt, and he remembered how insistent Rocky was on the color white, on being unstained by any other colors, on remaining pure.

Koo could have lost him, he realizes. The realization hits him in the gut harder than he expects, makes his stomach sour and bile burn in the back of his throat.

When Rocky turns to look at him, Koo discovers the lights are even reflecting in his eyes, illuminating the deep brown well. It makes his knees weak and he wavers on his feet, steadying himself with a hand pressed to one mirrored wall.

“You okay?” Rocky furrows his brows, stretching out a hand to touch Koo’s forehead.

It’s Koo’s turn to scoff, knocking Rocky’s hand away from his skin. He sets his tablet carefully and purposefully on the floor, stepping over it in one smooth motion so he can insinuate himself right up into Rocky’s personal space. It seems such a cliche romance drama move to imitate, and Koo will rip himself a new one for doing this, but he sets a hand on the wall beside Rocky’s head and tries not to feel too ridiculous for doing this.

Who is he kidding? There is no living this decision down.

“ _ Kabedon? _ You’re serious?” Rocky asks, the words not coming out quite steady around the familiar sound of his laughter. “What are you thinking right now?”

Koo tries to ignore the embarrassment that curls in his gut and shifts to place his other hand on the other side of Rocky’s head, hopefully keeping him firmly in place even though he knows Rocky could easily push him off. “The lighting in this elevator does wonders for you.”

The words seem to startle Rocky, at least enough to stop his laughter and he blinks at Koo a few times, his lips parting just enough to be a temptation. Rocky made it clear in their old building that he wanted to keep matters as professional as possible, but that never stopped them from making occasional use of the desk in Rocky’s office, or any of the couches when they were closed or before they opened. As long as everything was clean and ready to go before they officially opened for the evening, it was fine.

This building is not even theirs yet, and it would be improper to christen a single inch of its marvelous structure without having their names down on the lease. Just the same, seeing Rocky lit up in such an ethereal way is a devil on Koo’s shoulder.

He could have lost him. That thought follows on the tail of everything else. If the rest of S.W.O.R.D. didn’t come through, if Ranmaru hit Rocky harder, or at a different angle… Why not break his own code of ethics, just this once? If Kuryu comes for them again, they might not have the chance to do something like this. It seems foolish not to give it a shot.

“They’re just lights,” Rocky eventually says, and he touches Koo’s cheek with a gloved hand. The gloves had to be replaced, and they hide the bandages around Rocky’s hand, still in the process of healing from Ranmaru’s abuse. “You sure you’re feeling well still?”

Koo squeezes his eyes shut for just a moment before he leans forward, pressing their foreheads together. “I’m fine,” he says, and the words come out in a half-rasp, his throat raw. “But you look so stunning right now and I suppose I’m just affected unnaturally.”

The hand on his cheek moves to the nape of his neck, the leather cool against his skin flushed hot from embarrassment, and when Rocky tilts his head just so, their lips meet in the middle. Though Rocky is usually a confident kisser who knows his way around Koo’s mouth better than just about anyone else, there’s something unusually soft and hesitant in the way he moves his lips against Koo’s, something that perfectly encapsulates the way Koo feels right now. It’s why he flattens his body against Rocky’s, holding him against the wall while he kisses him.

He wants to kiss Rocky hard and rough, deep and sloppy, anything to match the emotions surging rushed and choppy through his chest and brain, but he restrains himself. Koo is excellent at keeping himself calm and in check and he does that now, even as a hand slips beneath Rocky’s coat to grip his waist, fingers sinking into his soft skin just a little.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you,” Rocky pants against his lips, eyes lidden as he leans his head back against the wall, “but I gotta admit, I kinda like this side of you.”

Koo drags in harsh breath after harsh breath, pressing his face against Rocky’s throat, murmuring against the skin between reverent kisses. “I just want to appreciate every inch of you and these lights make you look all the more beautiful.”

“Since when do you say poetic shit like that?” Rocky asks him, though his voice is strained.

Instead of answering, Koo kisses his way up under Rocky’s jaw, teeth scraping over where his pulse beats fast and frantic against his skin. Koo’s own heart feels like it’s about to beat out of his ribs, nothing like he’s used to. His hands wander inside the coat, under the shirt, and Rocky arches up into his touch, making a little thankful noise—

“Oh, here they—  _ Oh!” _ The familiar voice has Koo flying back so hard his back slams into the wall, and he feels the glass vibrate even though it doesn’t break. “I’m sorry, was I interrupting?”

Kizzy stands in the elevator doorway with her hands planted firmly on her hips and an amused expression on her face, one eyebrow raised as she looks directly at Koo. He averts his eyes and glances down at his shoes, making a big show out of picking up his tablet and folding it back into its case. When he chances a glance up, Kaito comes to join Kizzy, resting his chin on her shoulder. They had come here looking for him and Rocky.

Well, Kizzy certainly found them, didn’t she?

“Maybe I should close the doors back and leave you two to your privacy,” she muses, and Rocky huffs at her, smoothing his coat back down into place. Koo eyes a spot on his throat, sure it will be a hickey by nightfall. “What? You sound like an old goat when you do that at me.”

Koo brushes past her and Kaito, his face burning and his heart thumping violently inside of his chest. Rocky and Kizzy argue loudly behind him as he heads for the doorway, glad that winter is here, that the cool air soothes the fire raging beneath his skin. Not much can be done for the fact his pants have grown incredibly tighter across the front in the last five minutes or so, but if he can survive the ride home, he can take care of that there.

As he tips his head back, breathing in the cold air, he feels his lips twitch at the corners just the same. Ruined moment or not, he doesn’t regret the choice at all.

Rocky looked so lovely in those lights.


End file.
